Very unusual object photographed in Arizona sky

a reply to: htapath

I have to agree with draknoir, it doesn't look very far at all.

originally posted by: Bilk22
Can you post a link to a site like photobucket where a larger version can be inspected? The pics this site hosts are pretty worthless as they are way to small to glean anything meaningful.

Okay I uploaded again to imgur and am now able to post a link. Thanks for your patience.

imgur.com...

originally posted by: gwynnhwyfar
a reply to: htapath

Interesting picture! Bird caught while wings were flapping down? Falling space debris? Did you notice anything moving at the time?

The wind was calm, at least at the surface. None of us noticed anything moving at the time. The clouds really got my attention though. I also find it odd that the object is roughly the same shape as the clouds. I've showed this photo to a couple hundred people, and most of them wanted a copy. Many have commented that there appears to be a face on the inside right hand appendage of the object.

a reply to: htapath

Did you take any more pictures?

Are we supposed to believe that you saw a UFO, took out your camera for a picture, then just moved on? How can a picture taken in that scenario ever be credible? I personally would take as many pictures/videos as I could until the object was no longer visible.

Also, ATS doesn't resize photos; the picture is available if you link to it:

Full size on ATS

You can also just right click the embeded image and select "View Image."

First thing I thought of was it looks like a bird in flight.

if it were a bird, it would have to be enormous.look at the road sign. Compare the two and the object in the sky would have to be huge I'm sure.

originally posted by: breathe
if it were a bird, it would have to be enormous.look at the road sign. Compare the two and the object in the sky would have to be huge I'm sure.

The road sign isn't "huge", and I don't see any reason why the object can't be closer than the sign. Might be a vulture, which could be larger than the sign.

Anyway, THIS, or TH IS is kind of the position I was thinking of.

Can't zoom in close enough to say for sure it's a large bird, but it certainly could be.

Thunderbird? Whatever it is, it looks huge.

There is a story that in April 1890, two cowboys in Arizona killed a giant birdlike creature with an enormous wingspan. It was said to have had smooth skin, featherless wings like a bat and a face that resembled an alligator. This description has some similarity to that of a prehistoric pterodactyl, an animal whose existence was known at the time. They are supposed to have dragged the carcass back to town, where it was pinned with wings outstretched across the entire length of a barn. A picture of this event may have been published in the local newspaper, the Tombstone Epitaph. Cryptozoology.com has an account of this story with the events taking place in the state of Texas.[2]
According to Mark Hall, the Epitaph did indeed print a story about the capture of a large, unusual winged creature, on April 26, 1890. Beyond this single story, however, no one has made historic corroboration that this event ever occurred; it is usually considered an urban legend. Utterly fictional tall tales were not an uncommon feature in newspapers during this era.[3]
No one has ever produced a copy of the "Thunderbird" photograph, though numerous people, Ivan T. Sanderson being one of the better known, have made claims to its existence. Sanderson claimed to have once owned a copy of the photo, which vanished after he loaned it to an acquaintance in the 1960s. The television program Freaky Links staged a similar photo, giving new life to the "Thunderbird Photograph" legend.[4]
Jerome Clark speculates that the description of the basic image in question (men standing alongside a winged creature nailed to a barn), is evocative enough to implant a sort of false memory, leading some people to vaguely "remember" seeing the photo at some distant, imprecise time.[5]

Here is anotherLINK

originally posted by: draknoir2

originally posted by: htapath
a reply to: Mianeye

That would have to be an extremely large bird! Larger than a 747 in my estimation.

Exactly how do you figure that?

Doesn't look that distant to me.

It's as high as the clouds man. On the full image, the distance is more obvious. Out of all the locals (mostly natives) that I've shown this to, none of them thought it was a bird. For one thing, it doesn't have either a head or a tail. I'm posting from my phone, and ATS is way different on this little screen. Will work on getting the full image posted now. I haven't posted here in a while, and there is somewhat of a learning curve involved.

originally posted by: htapath

originally posted by: draknoir2

originally posted by: htapath
a reply to: Mianeye

That would have to be an extremely large bird! Larger than a 747 in my estimation.

Exactly how do you figure that?

Doesn't look that distant to me.

It's as high as the clouds man..

It's clearly not, man.

And I've looked at the full image.

Just the fact that multiple people were there looking at those clouds and none of you noticed it makes me think it's a bird. Of course you wouldn't pay much attention to a bird as it was flying over as that's pretty normal. Then you look at the picture later not remembering there was a bird there because you basically ignored it.

If it were something unusual flying up there where you all were looking, I'm thinking you would have noticed it.

originally posted by: draknoir2

originally posted by: breathe
if it were a bird, it would have to be enormous.look at the road sign. Compare the two and the object in the sky would have to be huge I'm sure.

The road sign isn't "huge", and I don't see any reason why the object can't be closer than the sign. Might be a vulture, which could be larger than the sign.

Anyway, THIS, or TH IS is kind of the position I was thinking of.

Can't zoom in close enough to say for sure it's a large bird, but it certainly could be.

The sign was about 50 yards away. The object in question was in with the clouds and a few miles away. How do I know this? Because the clouds had been hanging there for a while holding their shape as I had driven approx. 45 miles with them in view. I waited until I got to the junction to take the picture where it was safe to pull off.

I hope this helps with perspective.

originally posted by: lemmin
a reply to: htapath

Did you take any more pictures?

Are we supposed to believe that you saw a UFO, took out your camera for a picture, then just moved on? How can a picture taken in that scenario ever be credible? I personally would take as many pictures/videos as I could until the object was no longer visible.

Also, ATS doesn't resize photos; the picture is available if you link to it:

Full size on ATS

You can also just right click the embeded image and select "View Image."

Nobody should believe anything, in my opinion. Beliefs serve no useful purpose.

As I stated in an earlier post, the object was not visible to the naked eye. I took the picture because the clouds looked strange and had held their shape for a considerable time. I did not immediately see the object in the image. I only glanced at it after I captured the image, because we were making a 100 mile journey into Flagstaff. Once we arrived in Flagstaff, I posted the picture to Facebook and then noticed the unusual object in the image.

I have also posted this image on another internet forum, and no conclusion was reached to my satisfaction.

It's a kite. Do so few people fly them anymore that they get posted as UFOs

?

originally posted by: draknoir2

originally posted by: htapath

originally posted by: draknoir2

originally posted by: htapath
a reply to: Mianeye

That would have to be an extremely large bird! Larger than a 747 in my estimation.

Exactly how do you figure that?

Doesn't look that distant to me.

It's as high as the clouds man..

It's clearly not, man.

And I've looked at the full image.

You are free to draw your own conclusions. All I can do is offer up the information to the best of my knowledge. I've lived around here for over 4 years now, and have a good sense of both distances, depth perception, and also the indigenous birds.

This isn't New York. Here, the sky is visible from horizon to horizon in most places. The air is dry. You can see a hundred miles easily in every direction at the location from which this picture was taken.

The road sign is a small fraction of the size of the object in question in my humble opinion.

originally posted by: htapath
a reply to: Mianeye

That would have to be an extremely large bird! Larger than a 747 in my estimation.

I don't know about that mate, the object in the picture looks like it could fit safely on the paved road where OP is taking the picture from. it looks no more than 4x bigger than the road sign below. that road sign would cover maybe 1 of a 747's passanger windows...

originally posted by: breathe
if it were a bird, it would have to be enormous.look at the road sign. Compare the two and the object in the sky would have to be huge I'm sure.

I gave you the only star for this post. The discourse in this thread is fairly typical on this forum. Everything is explained away as something mundane, and parroted over and over ad nauseum. I don't get paid to post here, but it seems like I've always encountered professional debunkers here since the beginning. A team that can even debunk their own existence.

Again, this is no bird in my honest and sincere opinion. A kite is even more laughable.

originally posted by: Mianeye
a reply to: htapath

Bird perhaps, caught in the moment the wings flaps down.

Just the right size.
Can make out a head with beak.
Wings on a downward stroke.

I agree its a bird, also. Image was captured with the bird at an angle toward the camera, which is why the tail is not visible.

originally posted by: Mianeye
Bird perhaps, caught in the moment the wings flaps down.

Yeah you can see the wings on the machine flapped down it is on a spy surveillance for the decepticons.